The University of Maine MSW Program

Transcription

1 i SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK MSW PROGRAM GUIDE

2 i Table of Contents Page Non-Discrimination and Accessibility Policy iii Introduction 1 Mission and Goals of the School of Social Work 1 Overview of MSW Curriculum 5 Foundation Year Curriculum, Competencies, & Practice Behaviors 14 Human Behavior and the Social Environment 16 Social Welfare Policy and Services 17 Social Work Practice 17 Field Education 19 Policy on Field Placement at Work Sites and Paid Placement 21 Advanced Year Curriculum, Competencies, & Practice Behaviors 22 Social Work Research 24 Electives 26 Social Welfare Policy and Services 27 Social Work Practice 27 Field Education 27 Certificate in Leadership in Rural Gerontology 28 Academic Advising 29 Registration for Classes 29 Transfer of Credit and Course Waivers 29 Request for Course Waivers and Exemptions 30 Requesting an Exemption in Course Sequencing 31 Student Awards 31 Accreditation 32 State Licensure 32 Financial Assistance 34 MSW Program Retention Policy 34 Interruption of Graduate Program 35 Academic Probation 34 Incompletes 35 Leaves of Absence 35 Withdrawal from the Program 36 Academic Review Process 36 Student Rights and Responsibilities 38 Grievances 39 References 42 Appendix A Writing Guidelines 43

3 ii Tables Table 1 Table 2 Table 3: Table 4 Table 5 Table 6 Table 7 Table 8 Regular, Full MSW Program: Credit Hours, Number of Courses and Content Areas Advanced Standing MSW Program: Credit Hours, Number of Courses and Content Areas Two-Year Orono Schedule Four-Year Orono Schedule Three-Year Weekend Schedule One-Year Orono Advanced Standing Schedule Two-Year Orono Advanced Standing Schedule Two-Year Weekend Advanced Standing Schedule

4 iii Non-Discrimination In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and in pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or citizenship status, age, disability, or veteran's status in employment, education, and all other areas of the University. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. Questions and complaints about discrimination in any area of the University should be directed to Karen Kemble, Director of Equal Opportunity, University of Maine, Room North Stevens Hall, Orono, ME , telephone (207) (voice and TDD). Inquiries or complaints about discrimination in employment or education may also be referred to the Maine Human Rights Commission. Inquiries or complaints about discrimination in employment may be referred to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Inquiries about the University's compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1 964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin; Section 504 or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, may also be referred to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Boston, MA , telephone (617) (voice) or (617) (TYY/TDD). Generally, an individual may also file a complaint with the OCR within 180 days of the alleged discrimination. Accessibility The School of Social Work is committed to providing access to the School for people with disabilities. A person with a disability is anyone who has, or is treated as having, a physical or mental impairment that substantially affects a major life activity such as seeing, walking or working. A qualified person with a disability is someone whose experience, education, and training enable the person to meet essential course or program requirements with or without a reasonable accommodation. An accommodation is any change in the work or learning environment or in the way things are customarily done that enables a person with a disability to have equal opportunities. People with disabilities have a right to request accommodations, and are encouraged to talk directly with Ann Smith, Counselor and Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, Onward Building ( ). Faculty members and administrators are responsible for

5 iv responding to requests for accommodation. Some common types of accommodations that may be needed include: A note taker or qualified interpreter in class for a student with a hearing impairment Additional time for completing an exam needed by a student with a learning disability Additional information about University procedures for accommodating individuals with disabilities is available through the Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall ( ).

6 INTRODUCTION 1 Welcome to the Master of Social Work Program at the University of Maine. This guide is intended to help you understand the program, its philosophy, its requirements and its operation. The information in this Guide will assist you in planning your graduate social work education. Social Work is a distinctive profession, requiring an interest in helping people with a wide range of problems, in a wide range of settings. Social workers practice in preschools, facilities for the aged, schools, hospitals and other health facilities, group homes, half-way houses, mental health facilities, prisons, community centers, lobbying firms, employee assistance programs, adoption agencies, family services, public welfare settings, child and adult protective services, residential settings for children, youth or adults, legislatures, unions, social change organizations, and many others. Within these settings social workers engage in a range of activities and roles. These include: broker, advocate, administrator, supervisor, planner, policy analyst, researcher, community and grass roots organizer, consultant, case manager, clinician, and educator. Social workers work with individuals, families, small groups, communities and organizations. What binds social workers with such diversity of practice into a common profession? First, social work views people and their environment as integrally intertwined and interactive. Therefore, social workers not only work with individuals toward change, but also share a commitment to institutional and societal change. Second, social work clients are typically drawn from the disadvantaged, vulnerable, and economically deprived segments of the population. Finally, social workers share a common set of professional values and a common set of basic or generic skills that enable them to work with diverse populations and fill diverse roles in diverse settings. The underlying purpose of all social work practice is to release human power in individuals for personal fulfillment and social good, and to release social power for the creation of the kinds of society, social institutions, and social policy that makes self-realization most possible for all individuals. Two values which are primary in such purposes are respect for the worth and dignity of every individual and concern that she/he have the opportunity to realize her/his potential as an individually-fulfilled socially contributive person (paraphrased from Khinduka, 1987.) Thus, the profession requires practitioners who are flexible, socially and politically aware, self-motivated, eager to learn over a lifetime, desirous of personal growth, altruistic, comfortable with ambiguity, and interested in changing social conditions that are adverse to healthy human development, self-determination and social justice. MISSION AND GOALS OF THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK The School of Social Work s mission has been built on the mission and values of the University of Maine, the purposes of social work and social work education and social work values. The mission of the University of Maine School of Social Work is to improve the quality of life for all

7 2 people by promoting excellence in social work practice. We view the domain of social work as the promotion of social justice, celebration of diversity, elimination of oppression, and promotion of human achievement and well being of people across the entire life span, all of which are essential characteristics of a society in which individuals and groups can exercise their rights to grow and realize their potential to its fullest. In keeping with the Land Grant mission of the University of Maine, the School carries a special responsibility to work toward these ends on behalf of the people of Maine. In defining our mission, the School of Social Work builds on the University of Maine s commitment to scholarship, outreach and service, its quest for honor[ing] the heritage and diversity of our state and nation, its vision for inspired and dedicated teaching. School of Social Work Goals Consistent with the University and School missions, the School of Social Work has four goals: To educate competent and effective baccalaureate and masters social workers for professional social work practice with particular regard for providing knowledge and skills relevant to serving the people of rural areas and small communities characteristic of the State of Maine; To improve social work practice by providing continuing educational and professional development opportunities open to all social workers wishing to examine their values, increase their knowledge and improve their practice skills; To contribute to the knowledge base of the social work profession through faculty research and scholarship, student-faculty collaborative inquiry, and promotion of knowledge development within the social work community; To render service and function as an academic resource center to local, state, national, and international social service communities and to those concerned with social welfare. In concert with the School mission, the mission of graduate social work education at the University of Maine is to prepare ethical, competent, effective advanced generalist social workers capable of practicing with a high degree of autonomy and skill in diverse social welfare settings. Goals of the Master s of Social Work Program 1. To educate students to be competent and effective at working across service delivery systems utilizing a strengths-based approach and respecting human diversity. 2. To prepare competent and effective students for advanced generalist social work practice for the purposes of enhancing human well-being, preventing and alleviating human suffering, and advancing social and economic justice. 3. To prepare students to work ethically with clients and client systems across the entire life span.

8 4. To initiate and promote research and knowledge building activities by faculty and students, for the purpose of improving the quality of social work practice. The Master's program goals are consistent with the School mission and goals. Achievement of each of these goals is grounded in the premise that social work values and ethics are integral to and inseparable from practice. The presence of consciously considered values and ethics is a major characteristic that distinguishes professional social work practice from the simple acquisition of applied skills or techniques. Research and knowledge-building activities are central to the land-grant mission of the University, reflected in the School mission and goals, and emphasized in the MSW program. Achievement of each of these goals is guided by a philosophical orientation which synthesizes a liberal arts foundation, an open systems framework, principles of the generalist perspective, and social work values and ethics as set forth by the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. The University of Maine School of Social Work educates social workers from a generalist perspective of social work practice. The baccalaureate program prepares beginning level practitioners and the graduate program prepares advanced practitioners; both the master's and baccalaureate programs are rooted firmly in the generalist perspective. The generalist perspective builds on a liberal arts foundation, and utilizes an open systems framework. The University of Maine MSW program prepares graduates for advanced practice in one concentration area: advanced generalist social work practice. The advanced generalist focus of the University of Maine MSW program was chosen because of the rural locale of the University and faculty interest in trends in social work education and practice. The rural social service delivery systems of Maine continue to need practitioners who can engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with multiple client systems (e.g., individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities) while competently fulfilling a variety of practice roles (e.g., clinician, advocate, administrator, etc.). Social workers in Maine often find themselves working in settings where they are either the only social worker or one of very few. Moreover, due to the wide geographic dispersion of MSW s in this rural state, many graduates who begin their post-msw employment in direct practice with individuals, families and small groups, find themselves on a fast track to working in organizations and communities as supervisors, program managers and administrators within only a few short years from graduation. Thus, the demands of rural practice in our region require that professional social workers be able to move among different settings, contexts, clients systems, and problem areas, while providing high quality, competent, and evidence-based practice. Moreover, curricular specialization in limited problem situations or methods would severely hamper the effectiveness of our graduates in addressing and alleviating the varied social problems of our region. Landon (1995) noted that MSW programs selecting an advanced generalist curriculum often do so because of contextual issues associated with rural, international, and/or multicultural practice. The State of Maine faces an increasing population of older adults (#1 in the nation), nationally high rates of substance abuse (especially in the most rural counties where opiate addiction is epidemic), and significantly diminished resources for 3

9 4 social services. Given these demographic, social and economic contexts for social work practice in Maine, MSW practitioners must be able to bring a broad array of assessment and intervention strategies to all system levels, and with increasing sophistication for the interdependent and global nature of our world. Geographic demands are only one part of the rationale for an advanced generalist program at the University of Maine. In addition, the School of Social Work faculty believes that the advanced generalist perspective has developed as an appropriate and progressive articulation of the unique nature of social work practice. The advanced generalist perspective embodies the dualistic essence of social work, the legacy of perceiving and addressing personal troubles and public issues concurrently. Historically, the concept of generalist has been linked to varied definitions since its entrance into the social work education nomenclature over two decades ago (Landon, 1995; Schatz, Jenkins & Scheafor, 1990). Despite the plethora of diverse approaches to the generalist model, there is overall agreement about the components of a generalist perspective and the elements of generalist knowledge, values and skills. Generalist practitioners apply multilevel, multi-method approaches to the resolution of the problems of persons in their environments. The notion of advanced generalist practice has been a more evolving conceptualization. Most recently, work by a cadre of faculty from advanced generalist social work programs has lead to more specific articulation of core dimensions, common frameworks, knowledge base, competencies, and skills for advanced generalist social work practice (e.g., Brittingham & Hammond, 2002; Schatz, 2000; Schatz & Jenkins, 2002; Vecchiolla, Roy, Leser, Wronka, Walsh-Burke, Gianesin, Foster & Negroni, 2001). The following definition of advanced generalist practice expresses the organizing philosophy that underlies the advanced curriculum. Advanced generalist social work practitioners utilize advanced reasoning, problem solving and ways of organizing knowledge in order to solve diverse problems of persons in their environments. The advanced generalist practitioner is distinguished not by method or level of intervention, but rather by advanced critical thinking and expanded knowledge and skills. At the advanced level, the curriculum focuses on the extrapolation, synthesis and refinement of generic and generalist competencies (Schatz, Jenkins and Scheafor, 1990). The advanced generalist practitioner is capable of intervening effectively in complex situations and applying creative problem-solving strategies to multi-level systems. While the foundation level generalist is capable of applying rules of professional practice to a variety of situations and systems levels, the advanced generalist practitioner integrates rules into more sophisticated and comprehensive practice reasoning. Our curriculum is designed to enable our graduates to undertake diverse and complex social problems and apply multi-level assessment, intervention and evaluation strategies to the problems of persons in their environment. For example, students who work with older adults should be able to assess the differential psychosocial needs of physically healthy and frail elders, utilize diverse strategies to engage and support family caregivers, and communicate and advocate effectively with legislators, other healthcare practitioners, and community agencies for improved services for elders. In another example, graduates employed in community mental health agencies as clinical social workers need to have advanced skills in evidence-based mental health practice models and approaches for effective work with individuals, families and small

10 5 groups as well as understand how changes in healthcare policy impacts clients access to mental health services, and be able to advocate for repeal of regressive policies with legislators and other key stakeholders. The advanced generalist curriculum is designed to prepare University of Maine MSW students to meet the complex needs of our rural state with the knowledge, values, and skills necessary to address interdependent personal troubles and public issues concurrently. OVERVIEW OF THE MSW CURRICULUM The University of Maine School of Social Work organizes the MSW curriculum in two stages, consisting of a foundation year and an advanced year. Both the foundation year and the advanced year may be taken on either a full-time or a part-time basis, though all our programs are considered full-time by the Graduate School and Financial Aid. The program offers only one concentration in the advanced curriculum: advanced generalist social work practice. All students must demonstrate proficiency in the foundation knowledge, values, processes, and skills essential to generalist social work practice by either completing the foundation year of the UMaine MSW program successfully or by earning a BASW/BSW degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education as the basis for receiving advanced standing at UMaine. Each student admitted to the MSW program must also provide evidence of having acquired an appropriate liberal arts base upon which to build his or her professional education. The full regular MSW program is a sixty-three (63) credit hour program (See Table 1) and is offered to full-time and part-time students at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The full MSW program is also offered as a part-time, weekend option at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast, Maine. Students who complete the full MSW program as part-time students may do so over three or four years. The foundation and advanced curricula for two-year students are depicted in Table 3. The curriculum for four-year students is described in Table 4 and for three-year weekend students in Table 5. Advanced standing students may complete degree requirements in 46 credit hours (See Table 2) as either one-year or two-year (either Orono or weekend) students (See Tables 6, 7 and 8). The full regular program consists of 63 semester credit hours. There are 45 credits of classroom work and 18 credits of supervised field practicum. The curriculum is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study or in three to four years of part-time study. Students may elect to enter the program on either a full or part-time basis. It is sometimes possible to change from one format to the other, with approval of the student's academic advisor, Field Director and the MSW Program Coordinator; this will depend to some extent on course enrollment for that particular year. Courses in the program are carefully sequenced, and with rare exception, cannot be taken out of sequence. Because of the sequencing students who choose the part-time option will attend half time for at least two years. Remember, both the full-time and part-time options are considered full time by the Graduate School and Financial Aid, if you are taking at least 6 graduate credits.

11 Table 1 Regular, Full MSW Program: Credit Hours, Number of Courses and Content Areas 6 Credit Hours Number of Courses Content Area 18credits 6 Social Work Practice 6 credits 2 Human Behavior and the Social Environment 6 credits 2 Social Work Research 6 credits 2 Social Welfare Policy and Services 8 credits 2 Foundation Field Practicum, seminar, and skills lab 10 credits 1 Advanced Field Practicum and seminar 9 credits 3 Elective courses * Please note that the curriculum changed in 2013 with a reduction of one research course and the addition of a third elective. Students matriculating before 2013 will complete 9 credits of research and 6 elective credits. Table 2 Advanced Standing MSW Program: Credit Hours, Number of Courses and Content Areas Credit Hours Number of Courses Content Area 12 credits 4 Social Work Practice 6 credits 2 Social Work Research 3 credits 1 Social Welfare Policy and Services 10 credits 1 Advanced Field Practicum and seminar 9 credits 3 Elective courses 6 credits 3 Summer Bridging Courses: Policy, Practice, Human Behavior & the Social Environment * Please note this curriculum changed for advanced standing students beginning in 2014, resulting in one fewer bridge course and one more elective for a total of 46 credits. Students matriculating before 2014 will complete 8 credits of research (including 2-credit Bridging Course) and 2 electives (six credits total). Please note that the Graduate School of the University considers students taking six credits or more a semester as "full-time." What may be confusing is that within the School of Social Work, we consider "full-time" students to be those who complete the program within two years, taking four courses (14-15 credits) a semester. Students who complete the program in four years (the extended program) or three years (weekend program), taking two courses a semester, are considered by the School to be "part-time." (Similarly, for advanced standing students, we sometimes call students in the two-year program part-time students.) Although these differences in definition are somewhat confusing, students who are part-time in the Program are still eligible for benefits, such as financial aid that accrue to full-time students by the Graduate

12 7 School definition. We discourage students from extending their program over more than four years. Students need to be aware that if they are participating in a scholarship program or another university program that requires a different number of minimum credit hours, they must monitor and assure compliance. Students who have a Baccalaureate Degree from a Council on Social Work Education accredited social work program may qualify for advanced standing if they apply for admission within five years after they have graduated. This enables these students to complete the program in less than two years full-time. MSW degree classes are offered on the Orono campus, at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast, and every three years via videoconferencing or, in 2015, as an online program. Classes for nonmatriculated students and continuing education classes may be offered on other campuses or locations, and through distance education. In Orono, all foundation year academic classes are scheduled on Monday and Tuesday. Students taking the first year field placement do so during the other days of the week, with exact hours worked out between student and agency. All advanced year classes are on Wednesday and Thursday. Students who are in advanced field practicum fulfill those requirements on the other days of the week or as a summer block field placement. All classes at the Hutchinson Center are offered on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, although electives may occur at different times (e.g., in the evening on weekdays), and occasionally there are classes late Friday afternoon or in the early afternoon on Saturday.

13 Table 3 Two-Year Schedule (for students beginning 2013) 8 SWK 550 SWK 560 SWK 540 SWK 595 SWK 563 SWK 650 SWK 595 Elective SWK 691 SWK 661 SWK 665 SWK 695 Foundation Level First Semester Human behavior & the social environment I (3 cr.) Practice in generalist social work I (3 cr.) Social welfare policy and issues for generalist practitioners (3 cr.) MSW field practicum in social work (4 cr.) Second semester Practice in generalist social work II (3cr.) Human behavior and the social environment II (3cr.) MSW field practicum in social work (4cr.) SWK 580, Adult and Child Psychopathology, suggested Advanced Level Third semester Advanced Social work research I (3 cr.) Advanced generalist social work I practice with individuals (3 cr.) Adv. gen. social work practice II with communities and organizations (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Fourth semester SWK 692 SWK 640 SWK 664 SWK 695 SWK 600 Electives (9 cr.) Advanced social work Research II (3 cr.) Advanced social policy (3 cr.) Adv. gen. social work practice III with families and small groups (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) MSW Professional Integrative Seminar (3 cr.) Electives may be taken any time in the program. TOTAL CREDITS: 63 Note: SWK 695 may be taken as a summer block placement after the fourth semester in consultation with the Field Coordinator and MSW Coordinator Note: Students matriculating before fall 2013 have a slightly different schedule. These students have 3 research courses (including SWK 591) and only 6 credits of electives.

14 9 Table 4 Four-Year Schedule (for students beginning 2013) SWK 550 SWK 540 SWK 650 Elective SWK 595 SWK 560 SWK 563 SWK 595 SWK 691 Elective SWK 692 SWK 640 SWK 661 SWK 665 SWK 695 SWK 600 SWK 664 SWK 695 Electives (9 cr.) Foundation Level First Semester Human behavior & the social environment I (3 cr.) Social welfare policy and issues for generalist practitioners (3 cr.) Second semester Human behavior and the social environment II (3 cr.) SWK 580, Adult and child psychopathology, suggested elective (3 cr.) Third semester MSW field practicum in social work (4 cr.) Practice in generalist social work I (3 cr.) Fourth Semester Practice in generalist social work II (3 cr.) MSW field practicum in social work (4 cr.) Advanced Level Fifth Semester Advanced social work research I (3 cr.) (3 cr.) Sixth Semester Advanced Social Work Research II (3 cr.) Advanced social policy (3 cr.) Seventh Semester Advanced generalist social work practice I with individuals (3 cr.) Adv. gen. social work practice II with communities and organizations (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Eighth Semester Advanced professional integrative seminar (3 cr.) Adv. gen. social work practice III with families and small groups (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Electives may be taken any time in the program. TOTAL CREDITS: 63 Note: SWK 695 may be taken as a summer block placement after the eighth semester in consultation with the Field Coordinator and MSW Coordinator Note: Students matriculating before fall 2013 have a slightly different schedule. These students have 3 research courses (including SWK 591) and only 6 credits of electives.

15 Table 5 Three-Year Weekend Schedule (for students beginning in 2013) 10 SWK 550 SWK 540 SWK 650 SWK 580 SWK 595 SWK 560 SWK 563 SWK 595 SWK 691 Foundation Level Fall Semester First Semester Human behavior & the social environment I (3 cr.) Social welfare policy and issues for generalist practitioners (3 cr.) Spring Semester- Second Semester Human behavior and the social environment II (3 cr.) Adult and child psychopathology (3 cr.) (Suggested elective) Summer Semester Third Semester MSW field practicum in social work (4 cr.) Practice in generalist social work I (3 cr.) Fall Semester - Fourth Semester Practice in generalist social work II (3 cr.) MSW field practicum in social work (4 cr.) Advanced social work research I (3 cr.) SWK 640 SWK 692 SWK 661 SWK 665 SWK 695 SWK 664 SWK 600 SWK 695 Advanced Level Spring Semester Fifth Semester Advanced social policy Advanced social work research II (3 cr.) Summer Semester - Sixth Semester Advanced generalist social work practice I with individuals (3 cr.) Fall Semester - Seventh Semester Adv. gen. social work practice II with communities and organizations (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Spring -Eighth Semester Adv. gen. social work practice III with families and small groups (3 cr.) Advanced professional integrative seminar (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Electives (9 credits) can be taken anytime. SWK 580 is an elective. Note: TOTAL CREDITS: 63 SWK 695 may be taken as a summer block placement after the eighth semester in consultation with the Belfast Site Coordinator and MSW Coordinator Note: Students matriculating before fall 2013 have a slightly different schedule. These students have 3 research courses (including SWK 591) and only 6 credits of electives.

16 Table 6 One-Year Advanced Standing Schedule (for students beginning summer 2014) 11 SWK 530 SWK 531 SWK 533 SWK 691 SWK 661 SWK 665 SWK 695 SWK 600 SWK 664 SWK 692 SWK 640 SWK 695 Summer Bridging Course: Policy (2 cr.) Bridging Course: Practice (2 cr.) Bridging Course: HBSE (2 cr.) Advanced Level Fall semester Adv. Social work research I (3 cr.) Adv. gen. social work practice I with individuals (3 cr.) Adv. gen. social work practice II with communities and organizations (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Spring semester Advanced professional integrative seminar (3 cr.) Adv. Gen social work practice III with families and small groups (3 cr.) Advanced Social Work Research II (3 cr.) Advanced social policy ( 3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Electives (9 cr.) Electives may be taken at any time in the program. TOTAL CREDITS: 46 credits Note: SWK 695 may be taken as a summer block placement after the Spring semester in consultation with the Field Coordinator and MSW Coordinator Note: Students matriculating before summer 2014 have a slightly different schedule. These students have 3 research courses (including SWK 532) and only 6 credits of electives.

17 Table 7 Two-Year Advanced Standing Schedule (for students beginning summer 2014) 12 SWK 530 SWK 531 SWK 533 SWK 691 Summer Bridging Course: Policy (2 cr.) Bridging Course: Practice (2 cr.) Bridging Course: HBSE (2 cr.) Advanced Level First Semester Advanced Social work research I (3 cr.) SWK 692 SWK 640 SWK 661 SWK 695 SWK 665 SWK 664 SWK 600 SWK 695 Electives (9 cr.) Second Semester Advanced Social Work Research II (3 cr.) Advanced social policy (3 cr.) Third Semester Advanced generalist social work practice I with individuals (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Adv. gen. social work practice II with organizations and communities (3 cr.) Fourth Semester Adv. generalist social work practice III with families and small groups (3 cr.) Advanced professional integrative seminar (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Electives may be taken at any time in the program. TOTAL CREDITS: 46 credits SWK 695 may be taken as a summer block field placement in consultation with the Field Coordinator and MSW Coordinator Note: Students matriculating before summer 2014 have a slightly different schedule. These students have 3 research courses (including SWK 532) and only 6 credits of electives.

18 Table 8 Weekend Advanced Standing Schedule (for students beginning summer 2014) 13 SWK 530 SWK 531 SWK 533 SWK 580 SWK 691 SWK 692 SWK 640 SWK 661 Elective First Summer (in Orono) Bridging Course: Policy (2 cr.) Bridging Course: Practice (2 cr.) Bridging Course: HBSE (2 cr.) Advanced Level First Fall Adult and Child Psychopathology (3 cr.) (optional) Advanced Social Work Research I (3 cr.) First Spring Advanced Social Work Research II (3 cr.) Advanced social policy (3 cr.) Second Summer Advanced generalist social work practice I with individuals (3 cr.) optional SWK 665 SWK 695 SWK 664 SWK 600 SWK 695 Electives (9 cr.) Second Fall Adv. gen. social work practice II with organizations and communities (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Second Spring Adv. generalist social work practice III with families and small groups (3 cr.) Advanced professional integrative seminar (3 cr.) Advanced field practicum in social work (5 cr.) Electives may be taken at any time in the program, although we suggest the first fall as a good time. TOTAL CREDITS: 46 credits SWK 695 may be taken as a summer block field placement in consultation with the Field Coordinator and MSW Coordinator Note: Students matriculating before summer 2014 have a slightly different schedule. These students have 3 research courses (including SWK 532) and only 6 credits of electives.

19 MSW PROGRAM FOUNDATION YEAR 14 The foundation level of the graduate program incorporates the generic foundation for social work practice and introduces the student to generalist practice. The generic foundation for social work is the common base of knowledge and skills associated with all social work practice differentiates social work from other professions (Leighninger, 1980). In addition, the generic foundation encompasses the core values and philosophy of social work, including the profession's commitment to achieving social justice and eliminating oppression. The generalist perspective builds upon that generic foundation. It is based primarily in an open systems framework, utilizing strengths-based perspectives for identifying and solving problems. An open systems framework recognizes the interrelatedness of human life situations and social conditions, resulting in a broad approach to problem definition and intervention. This open, multi-level framework is not limited to any single theoretical or interventive approach; the point of intervention and methods of intervention are determined after careful assessment of the problem. Generalist social workers possess a knowledge, values, and skill base that are readily transferable among diverse contexts, locations and problem situations. Students develop skills in working with individuals, families, small groups, organizations and communities. The generalist repertoire also includes skills applicable to the tasks of lifelong learning, and to adaptation of the generalist foundation to specialized situations and contexts. CORE COMPETENCIES AND FOUNDATION YEAR PRACTICE BEHAVIORS After completing the foundation year of the University of Maine MSW Program, students will have the ability to: 1) Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly: a. Advocate for client access to the services of social work; b. Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development; c. Attend to professional roles and boundaries; d. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication; e. Engage in career-long learning; and f. Use supervision and consultation. 2) Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice: a. Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice; b. Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics; c. Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts; and d. Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions. 3) Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments: a. Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including

20 15 research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom; b. Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation; and c. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues. 4) Engage diversity and difference in practice: a. Recognize the extent to which a culture s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power; b. Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups; c. Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences; and d. View themselves as learners and engage those with whom they work as informants. 5) Advance human rights and social justice: a. Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination; b. Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice; and c. Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice. 6) Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research: a. Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry; and b. Use research evidence to inform practice. 7) Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment: a. Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation; and b. Critique and apply knowledge to understand person and environment. 8) Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services: a. Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human well-being; and b. Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action. 9) Respond to contexts that shape practice: a. Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services; and provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services. 10) Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities: a. Engagement: i. Substantively and affectively prepare for action with individuals, families,

21 groups, organizations, and communities; and ii. Use empathy and other interpersonal skills. b. Assessment: i. Collect, organize, and interpret client data; ii. Assess client strengths and limitations; iii. Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives; and iv. Select appropriate intervention strategies. c. Intervention: i. Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals; ii. Implement prevention interventions that enhance client capacities; iii. Help clients resolve problems; iv. Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients; and v. Facilitate transitions and endings d. Evaluation: i. Social workers critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate interventions. 16 The MSW Foundation Year curriculum is organized into five groupings, each representing a course or sequence of courses which places focused attention on accomplishing those objectives. The five foundation areas are: Human Behavior and the Social Environment Social Welfare Policy and Services Social Work Practice Field Practicum Note: The sequence area of Social Work Research is taught in the Advanced Year. HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT The purpose of the HBSE sequence and content, consistent with the School mission statement, is to provide the student with depth of knowledge about people in their environments as a basis for understanding the diversity of human experience and the contexts which frame that experience, and for promoting quality of life and human achievement for all groups of people. The HBSE content is viewed as a fundamental part of the generic foundation, which underpins generalist practice. Course Sequence Focused curricular attention to Human Behavior in the Social Environment occurs in a twocourse sequence required of MSW students (SWK 550 and SWK 650 for students without BSW degrees and SWK 533 for Advanced Standing students). The HBSE courses are: SWK 550: SWK 650: Human Behavior in the Social Environment I Human Behavior in the Social Environment II

22 SWK 533: Advanced Standing Bridge Course in Human Behavior in the Social Environment 17 SWK 550, Human Behavior in the Social Environment I, is taken in the first semester of study. SWK 650, Human Behavior in the Social Environment II, is taken in the second semester. Advanced standing students who have completed related BSW courses are admitted to the Advanced Standing Summer Bridge courses and complete SWK 533, Advanced Standing Bridging Course in HBSE. Other aspects of the curriculum that integrate understanding of human behavior in the social context supplement the in-depth study of HBSE in SWK 550 and 650 and assist students in applying this knowledge to social work practice and the generation of new knowledge for practice. The foundation year of the HBSE sequence is designed to provide opportunities and learning situations that enable students to examine and understand normative human development using a life-span perspective within a systems framework. SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY AND SERVICES The purpose of the Social Welfare Policy and Services (SWPS) sequence is to guide the student from an understanding of the elements of policy formulation and implementation to the capacity for critical analysis of the inter-relatedness of social problems, social policy, social services, and social work practice, and application of such analyses in advanced generalist social work practice. The chosen analytical frameworks draw on historical, philosophical, and economic knowledge in addition to social understandings, and practice comparative analysis crossculturally and historically. Course Sequence Focused curricular attention to Social Welfare Policy and Services occurs in a two-course sequence required of MSW students (SWK 540 and SWK 640 for students without BSWs and SWK 530 and SWK 640 for Advanced Standing students). The SWPS courses are: SWK 540: Social Welfare Policy and Issues for Generalist Practitioners SWK 530: Advanced Standing Bridge Course in Social Welfare Policy SWK 640: Advanced Social Policy SWK 540, Social Welfare Policy and Issues for Generalist Practitioners, is taken in the first year of study. In the advanced year of the program students take the policy practice course, SWK 640, Advanced Social Policy. Advanced Standing students who have completed related BSW policy courses are admitted to the Advanced Standing summer bridge courses, and complete SWK 530: Advanced Standing Bridge Course in Social Welfare Policy, followed by SWK 640 in their advanced year. The Social Welfare Policies and Services foundation year is designed to provide opportunities and learning situations that will enable students to critically analyze the historical context of the social work profession and social welfare policy and to become familiar with current social policy and programs.

23 18 SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE The purpose of the Social Work Practice sequence is to move the student from a basic understanding the elements of generalist practice to the application of this knowledge to advanced generalist practice. The foundation year of the practice curriculum emphasizes the social work practice roles of broker, educator, mediator, enabler, and advocate. Additional practice roles are emphasized in the advanced year, relying upon and reorganizing the repertoire of roles taught in the foundation year. The advanced year practice courses continue to address the roles of the foundation year and attend to the social work practice roles of clinician, consultant, supervisor, and administrator. The foundation and advanced year social work practice courses emphasize empowerment of client systems, assessment of client strengths, capacities and resources, and analysis and implementation of empirically based interventions. Course Sequence for Full Program Orono Students Four sequential and two concurrent social work practice courses comprise this sequence. Students enroll in the foundation year social work practice courses concurrently with the foundation year field practicum (SWK 595) in the fall and spring semesters. SWK 560, Practice in Generalist Social Work I and SWK 563, Practice in Generalist Social Work II are taken in the first full-time year of study. In the fall semester of the advanced year, students take SWK 661, Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals and SWK 665, Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice II with Communities and Organizations. In their final semester all students enroll in SWK 600, Professional Integrative Seminar and SWK 664, Advanced Generalist Practice III with Families and Small Groups. Students enroll in the advanced year social work practice courses either: 1) concurrently with the advanced year field practicum (SWK 695), or 2) in the prior to completing a Summer Block Field placement. Course Sequence for Weekend Program Students Five sequential and one concurrent social work practice courses comprise this sequence. Students enroll in the foundation year social work practice courses concurrently with the foundation year field practicum (SWK 595) in the first summer and second fall semesters. SWK 560, Practice in Generalist Social Work I and SWK 563, Practice in Generalist Social Work II are taken simultaneously with SWK 595 over these two semesters. In the summer semester of the advanced year, students take SWK 661, Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice with Individuals. They take SWK 665, Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice II with Communities and Organizations in their last fall semester. In their final semester all students enroll in SWK 600, Professional Integrative Seminar and SWK 664, Advanced Generalist Practice III with Families and Small Groups. Students enroll in the advanced year social work practice courses either: 1) concurrently with the advanced year field practicum (SWK 695), or 2) in the year prior to completing a Summer Block Field placement.

24 19 Course Sequence for Advanced Standing Students Two sequential and two concurrent social work practice courses comprise this sequence for advanced standing students. In addition, the practice sequence also includes a two credit summer Bridging Course (SWK 531, Advanced Standing Bridging Course in Generalist Social Work Practice). In the fall semester of the advanced year, students take SWK 661, Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice I with Individuals and SWK 665, Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice II with communities and organizations. In their final semester students enroll in SWK 600, Professional Integrative Seminar and SWK 664, Advanced Generalist Practice III with Families and Small Groups. Students enroll in the advanced year social work practice courses either: 1) concurrently with the advanced year field practicum (SWK 695), or 2) in the year prior to completing a Summer Block Field placement. The social work practice courses are: SWK 560: Practice in Generalist Social Work I SWK 563: Practice in Generalist Social Work II SWK 531: Advanced Standing Bridging Course in Generalist Social Work Practice SWK 661: Advanced Generalist Practice I with Individuals Across the Lifespan SWK 665: Adv. Gen. Social Work Practice II with Communities and Organizations SWK 664: Adv. Gen. Social Work Practice III with Families and Small Groups SWK 600: MSW Professional Integrative Seminar The practice sequence in the foundation year is designed to provide opportunities and learning situations that will enable students to examine open social systems theory and explore the components of planned social work intervention including assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation. FIELD EDUCATION Field education at the University of Maine School of Social Work provides students with an opportunity to assimilate, integrate, apply, and connect conceptual knowledge, theories and constructs that they have learned in the classroom to generalist and advanced generalist social work practice. The goal of MSW field education is to provide practice experiences specifically created to present generalist and advanced generalist social work practice opportunities for students to demonstrate the Core Competencies. The field curriculum supports the values of the profession and seeks to assist students to incorporate the values and the mission of social work through ethical practice. Attention is paid to providing exposure to a socially, culturally, ethnically, spiritually, and economically diverse range of clients in diverse social service settings. Much of students practice learning focuses on direct work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in order to help client systems improve their functioning, and to gain access to social and economic resources. Students also learn skills in identifying and addressing injustices impacting client systems and about social policy and organizational change. Students learn to use supervision effectively and to take initiative in their